Sunderland and Everton battled to a 1-1 draw in a tightly contested encounter on Saturday. Senegal international Iliman Ndiaye opened the scoring for Sunderland in the 15th minute, but Granit Xhaka leveled matters just after the restart in the 46th minute.
Xhaka was named Player of the Match following a commanding midfield display. The Swiss international completed 61 passes, created five chances, delivered three accurate crosses, made three tackles and one interception, and registered six ball recoveries being dribbled past only once.
The result means Sunderland missed the chance to climb to second place, instead remaining in fourth with 18 points after dropping two valuable points at home.